A woman at my stable danced and I realized that while grooming she would practice different steps without thinking and her massive warm blood would too! 😂 completely copied her, so sweet.
@@AugustRx No, it's more so that horror movies with practical effects allow the actors to act more naturally and better, which gives us, the viewers, a better movie.
Abigail was played by the same actress as Matilda both on broadway and the filmed version! She's been a talented dancer and actress for many years already even as a child! What a treat to see her in a horror movie.
as yet another former ballet dancer (not prof, just did it for a decade or so), i think there's a reason ballet-based horror tends to be phenomenal. the obsessive perfectionism and competitiveness, the body horror (it's pretty common for professionals to end up with lifelong health problems/crippling themselves, hell, i once spent so long practicing on my pointe shoes my toes started bleeding), industry problems with racism, and classicism (both classic sources of horror), and the general dreamlike, rigid, glittery aesthetic of performances being eye catching and unsettling when juxtaposed with visceral violence and gore. 'vampire ballerina' seems silly but the idea of flawless, traditional, restrained beauty built on pain and blood and horror applies just as evenly to both
The implication I took from Frank's transformation is that becoming a vampire severely impacts your impulse control. I think it's something vampires have to relearn. So, Abigail and her Dad were old enough to be fully in control. Lambert had been a vampire long enough to look in control, but he was still impulsive enough to think two fledgling vampires zerg-rushing DRACULA was a good idea. Frank's impulse control was just gone.
Yeah I agree with that because eventhough Frank as a person was clearly pretty rough, ya know putting it simply he was a bit mean... he wasn't like "I want to turn you into a vampire and use you as my puppet" like full blown evil. So I assume just turning into a vampire does what you said
For real ! , when Joey said her pulse was slow and steady I was thinking ok maybe it's because Vampires in this universe have very slow pulses/ heart beats like you can't bet that knockout syringe will actually work on Abigail 😂😂
It's implied that Abigail's "dad" is Dracula. This movie is a loose remake of the film Dracula's Daughter. I enjoyed it, but felt the ending was a little flat. I was kind of hoping Lambert would get more to do and that Abigail was the head of the crime family/there was no "dad". Still worth seeing in theaters 100%.
I lost my shit when Lazar walked in. That actor, Matthew Goode, plays another vampire in the TV adaptation of the book series Discovery of Witches and it's now my own head canon that Abigail takes place during one of the character's spells of blood rage.
15:30 - not only is she all decked out in her swan lake costume, the main music that they keep using for her dancing is literally just the swan lake overture
The story is totally different than I thought it was from the trailers I half-saw. I thought all the adults were kidnapped to feed Abigail, not a convoluted mob hit, which is honestly way better. That's awesome they used practical effects, that is so rare these days!
I also expected something completely different, I thought it would be much more funny. I found it really bad, it’s so much set up and so little payoff. The acting was good but how can you have Katherine Newton and not mention Supernatural IN A MONSTER MOVIE?
"it takes a long time to learn how to do the cool shit" was my favorite line in the whole movie! Alisha Weir (Abigail) does such an amazing job as being simultaneously a "little gril" and a vampire, i mean the changes on her facial expressions alone makes it amazing!
Feels like the marketing for the movie is a damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Trapped in the house with a kid vampire is a fun premise but the movie holds the reveal for a while in so I wonder the difference between people who have seen the trailer / know the premise and people who haven’t and how that affects their opinion.
I brought my brother with me to watch the movie. I made sure he saw no trailer or promotional material. I definitely think not knowing Abigail was a vampire from the start definitely added to the plot and twist and made the movie better. However I went in knowing the twist and I still enjoy it. I also agree it would have been hard to sell the movie if the vampire thing wasn't mentioned.
I agree. I'd seen the trailer but nothing else, so I knew about the vampire 'twist' and I was getting a little frustrated by how drawn out it was at the start. At first I thought they'd screwed up the marketing by revealing it to us, but then I realised there was no other way to do it and it doesn't matter that we the audience know (partly) what's coming, it's about the characters learning it for themselves, so my opinion kind of shifted and I ended up glad that they weren't trying to keep that as some secret for the audience
I didn’t see the trailer and I only read they were trapped in a house with a kid. I didn’t know she was a vampire at all! So when they started speculating about her dad and Valdez + people started randomly dying I was hyped!! I had no idea what direction this movie was going to. But I must say I was kinda disappointed that she was a vampire. The first 30 min were amazing tho lol
I went into it after watching the trailer, and I had a really good time. I feel like too many movies/movie goers nowadays are obsessed with shock value and twists, when sometimes it’s just fun to watch the characters learn about the reality of their situation when you already have the full context. Dramatic irony has existed for a long time for a reason, I think it’s fun!
It's like From Dusk Till Dawn, where the first half does a great job at setting itself up as a standard crime comedy-drama only to then blindside the audience with a hard turn into vampire horror. Part of me definitely wishes they hadn't revealed the whole vampire thing so it would've made for a much bigger shock when we find out the truth (mind you, I think the trailers for From Dusk... might've also given away the reveal so there is precedent I suppose)
Additionally for Frank being so powerful, he did drink a lot of Abigail's blood on top of being a new vampire. Some vampire lore includes that drinking the blood of a more powerful vampire can give you some of their power
I first saw Alisha Weir in the movie musical of "Matilda", and I was really impressed by how well she embodied the role, plus her convincing British accent, when she's Irish in real life.
I went to go see this movie with some of my coworkers on premiere day. The main reason we wanted to see it is we used to have a coworker named Abigail who made our lives hell. That was it, that was the reason. The ballerina vampire aspect was the icing on the cake. Great movie though, absolutely loved it and am happy to see others giving it some love too!
I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS PRACTICAL EFFECTS!!! I saw this movie over the weekend cause how was I not gonna see a vampire ballerina movie and I LOVED IT! I love it even more now oh my god!
It's a really fun film, and i wish more and more horror film creators realized how comedic their scripts are to lean more on that aspect. There are a couple horror films that really get you to feel fear or that week-long uncomfortableness. But MOST horror films nowadays are way too funny to take themselves that seriously and they just don't work, cause they feel half-hearted AS horror imo.
I want to see Abigail. Sadly, I don't have the stomach for horror movies anymore...especially ones with gore. I appreciate videos like this that let me safely experience horror. Thank you
Yeah kinda same lol. However I don't really want to see it but I do have a curiosity to hear the stories and plots of horror films so I appreciate too that I can almost feel the horror without having to put myself in an environment where it would be too much for me.
almost 20 years of ballet experience incl teaching. From what I could see in your clips, she didn't look prof (I know the actress' isnt so they didn't use a body double, I do know she has theater background) but she is good at it, specially her arm movements. I just find the whole ballerina vampire funny.
Saw it this weekend. It was a lot of fun. I didn't catch that it was a film by Universal. I saw an article pop up last night speculating that if this does well enough it might be a good place to re-start the "Dark Universe" plans they had years back.
@@iizmizzhungary It was supposed to be but they didn't like how mummy turned out so they scrapped the whole thing. More or less Abigail has Dracula, or at least a Dracula figure in it/in its lore and has been, so far, doing much better than mummy or wolfman did.
@@hightde13 but it’s on their website still?? 2025s epic universe has a land called Dark Universe themed around the classic universal monsters BECAUSE the mummy 2017 failed so hard and stopped any plans they had for that iteration of a dark universe. Are you talking about the avengers style movie franchise they were thinking about or the themed land at the park? Because I’m speaking about the new park and fear we may be discussing two different topics
@@hightde13 ahh I see! I don’t know much about the movie plans but I’m a pretty big enthusiast so I’ve been watching the progress for the new park coming. If you get the chance to/are in the Orlando area summer 2025 or after I hope you get to make the trip there it looks really cool. And hopefully it’ll boost demand for the movies you’re hoping for🤞🏻
My boyfriend and I went to see Monkey Man at our local drive in and Abigail was the double feature. Abigail played first so we were just planning to sit and half watch it while hanging out, and we became INVESTED. At one point we looked at each other and were like "Why is this good??"
My favorite part of the dance sequence with Sammy is Abigail starts dancing Coppélia! I was HOLLERING in the theater I'm so happy they didn't just stick to the Swan Lake suite they actually did make fun dance references. It made all the difference in how I enjoyed this movie
I was obsessed with this one. So good. Camp. Spooky. Gory. Fun. Chaotic. Violent. As an Abigail who danced most of her life and loves horror, I can't help but feel like this movie was made for me 😂
It’s sad that the movie trailers gave away the fact that Abigail is a vampire as that is a spoiler to the first 1/3 the movie, as has suspense and the fact that the other characters don’t understand what is happening but viewers do if they have seen the trailer or read a synopsis. They could have mentioned there is a vampire “Valdez” in the house killing people to promote this movie without mentioning she is a vampire
I want to agree with you, but it was proven to me that the normal person is stupider than you would think. I cant remember exactly who it was, possibly Matpat, but they had a sponsored video where they wanted to hide a code in the vid for a give-away. and the sponsor made them put the code, in bold, on screen for the last 10 or 20 seconds of the video. The creator said what the the purpose fo it being a hidden code if you just going to put it there like that. The reason i know this is the person put a video explaining all this.. and the fact that they got THOUSANDS of messages and comments asking where to find the code, as it was too well hidden for them to find. So i don't think it was that much a spoiler for that many people, as a lot of people probably will not even notice it they put a big arrow pointing saying "Vampire here".
I think the ballerina vampire is way too good of a hook to pass up not showing it in the trailer. They're going to get so many more butts in seats at the theaters because of it and the fact that it ends up being revealed so early in the movie makes it less of a spoiler. Also, twists like this only survive the first weekend. Afterwards, its all over social media and google searches.
I'm not a horror film fan but I wanted to support Melissa's films after she got kicked off the Scream franchise for being a caring human being. It was a surprise for me that this was Angus Cloud's last film, but I was glad to also support that. I knew she was a monster. I didn't know she was a vampire lol but I avoid trailers so that's on me
The only thing I wish is that they capitalized on the “it takes years to train” thing by making Sammy’s feet collapse or ankles break when Abigail tries to make her dance on pointe
There was a French Horror movie that came out in 2011 called livid that is really popular about thieves being hunted down by a ballerina vampire in a mansion ... lol also there's a horror movie called THE INVITATION from 2022 that was so good, nothing to do w/the one that came after then
I thought i was crazy because this plot seemed so familiar !!! Seems like Abigail is well executed but like.. couldn’t they change the premise just a little bit instead of doing the exact same thing ? I guess that’s what most horror movies do (haunted houses, dolls, etc) but this one is so specific that having it replicated feels weird. Still want to see it though xP
I saw this opening weekend. The amount of beat-for-beat detail you went into with the plot and comedy points you included that don't just service the plot shows how much you enjoyed this. April was a crazy good month for movies: Abigail, First Omen, Immaculate, also the last days of Femme in theaters if you catch that one
My anxious/agoraphobic ass has been wanting to see this movie since I saw the trailer. As ridiculous as it sounds, wanting to watch this video but not spoil the movie was a huge part in what got me to the cinema for the first time in a decade. Thanks Amanda! 😅❤
I loved this movie. Kevin Durand was my favorite part. He did such a good job as a loveable oaf comic relief character. I personally liked what they did with the vampire strength. It seems vampires are at full physical strength right from the start but "it takes a really long time to learn how to do the cool stuff," as Abigail said. I did think saving the reveal that Abigail is a vampire for the movie and keeping it out of the trailers would have been better, but I'm not sure it was really possible. Little vampire ballerina is the only reason I went to see it because the trailer I saw when I saw Late Night with the Devil made it look entertaining but also a little silly with Abigail ballet dancing around the mansion as she stalked her prey. They maybe could have cut the trailer and used lines about killing a vampire so people know it's a vampire movie but they don't suspect it's Abigail; they just assume that Abigail is a plot device to get the crew into the house for the rest of the movie to take place.
Ready or Not and Abigail being in the same universe would make sense, as Tony Le Domas' portrait is in the manor. I just watched this now that it's on VOD and hell yeah, great movie. And to have Matthew Goode as Lazar - chef's kiss!
I was on-board seeing this just because you recommend it, but the mention of practical effects have truly sold me. I don't think my fiance knows anything about this movie so I'll bring him in blind.
Just watched it the turning scene with the throwing up blood reminds me of the bit from WWDITS whenever a vampire eats human food I was silently dying in the theater
0:58 " I went in knowing it was starring Melissa Barrera and... that it was a vampire ballerina." Same except for me it was the girl from freaky [Kathryn Newton], and I loved freaky.
This is a fabulous video!! As a curious gal who enjoys story telling but who is deeply sensitive and CANNOT handle violence/gore, I often read reviews of horror and end up traumatizing myself anyway, but far less so than actually seeing it. I really enjoyed this video because I got to experience the fun and none of the yuck! AND I get to recommend a movie to my sister who adores vampires and horror which I never get to do because I can’t stomach her favorite films 😆 reading the comments make me feel like less of a weirdo as I see others have similar sensitivities who are also morbidly curious! You have a talent in this highly specific task of telling a scary story without making it too scary lol. Thank you!
in fairness, even while i was watching the invitation in the cinema, i thought all the hints at vampires were just jokes 😭 it was so badly written i assumed the intention was for the main character to THINK they were vampires but were actually something else “worse” and that would be the real final plot twist that never came
I saw Abigail yesterday, I am not much into horror but I did enjoy this movie a lot! Alisha Weir who plays the little girl is just amazing! I was particularily impressed by how seamlessly she switched from sweet girl to cruel sarcastic vampire.
I don’t normally pay attention to those “go watch the movie then come back!” things, but that description is so interesting I’m actually pausing the video lol. I’m gonna watch the movie today and I will be back!
I immediately stopped this video when you mentioned the Swan Lake costume change Abigail did, to go see this movie myself and holy fuck was it so good. Bloody ballerinas is an esthetic that I love and was so excited to get to see it done. It quickly moved to one of my favorite horror movies. Cannot thank enough for the recommendation on this movie!
So glad I went to see this in theaters! Didn’t really like M3gan, so I was worried it was gonna be another cringey “horror” movie, but was SO pleasantly surprised! I can’t believe how many times I full on laughed and so much of the gore was genuinely upsetting and cool! Some parts were still a little silly to me, like the puppet Sammy dance scene, but even then it still felt leagues more genuine than M3gan and was still a genuinely good watch.
sooo glad abigail is getting hype!! i got my boyfriend to go with me to the drive in to see it just bc i heard "vampire ballerina" and was instantly sold. he had nooo idea what the twist was and watching him try to figure it out and his eventual suprise was sooo fun! we both loved it ❤
Loved Abigail! Small ensemble cast in a closed off location? Check. Gleeful non spooky horror? Check. Memorable performances all round? Check and check again! Also didn't think about the possibility of a Ready or Not crossover... Actually onboard with that.
The way you talk about this movie reminds me of the way I raved about "Ready or Not" and Samara Weaving. I'm excited to see it now (I'm impervious to spoilers).
@@Da_bear-ij9gm I guess that would depend on what kind of movie the authors are going for and who the main character of the movie is (or at least our pov for the movie). Obviously the authors of this movie (or potentially the distributor) decided that showing the reveal, that wouldn't be obvious w/o the trailer, was something that worked for this movie. But there's still a ton of ways to get people hyped for what the movie is (action with some killing), while not revealing what exactly happens in the movie. Use shots that don't reveal the exact identity of the kid or maybe even ones that don't show who it was that killed people. Or anything along that line.
went to see abigail this past sunday and it was actually so good ??? the main actress did so well and i love melissa barrera & kathryn newton sooooo much
I love watching people talk about something that they enjoy, AND Im so happy to hear this movie was good, so this video was fantastic for me. Thank you.
I’m not a big horror fan, but I am now interested in seeing this 😅 Also, I love the videos of you being super excited about or into something, it’s such great energy!
I’ve been tempted to watch it but I had a trip booked this weekend and didn’t have time over there, now I’m back and honestly after this review now more than ever I’m sold I can’t wait to see it!
Now as a professional dancer I want to see this. I always cringe when people try to incorporate ballet into other genres, usually because they do not bother to hire a trained dancer; they think a tutu, some ribbon tied shoes, and random awkward gestures are enough. I love horror films, though, and you've really sold this one.
Finally watched this movie bc it went on Peacock and LOVED it!!! I love horror comedy. I love ensemble casts. I love “haunted creepy” house movies. I LOVED the vampire lore!! It felt really refreshing. I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised
I got literally 3 minutes into this video and now I REALLY want to see it so I'm peace-ing out and buying movie tickets for this weekend. I'll be back once I see it! lol
I'm a dancer and vampire ballerina really intrigued me but I can't handle horror movies (both the gory kind and the creepy kind) I can barely handle thriller movies 😅 I'm so thankful for your review/explanation of it because I get the enjoy the story line while hot having to have all of the visuals 😅 I always love how you explain the different movies youve seen but especially loved this time, could feel your excitement/enjoyment of it 😄 Also reminds me of when me or my siblings explain the whole plot of a show/movie to eachother when the others not sure if they want to watch it aha. Sounds like a pretty great movie! It's such a fun concept and sounds like they did a pretty dang good job of executing it. Also love that they used practical effects, cgi is great but some things just feel/look better done with practical effects 😊 I really enjoy your movie review/recaps, theres been a few movies I was interested in watching, but didn't for whatever reason, that you’ve covered and its so great to get to know what happens without freaking myself out too much😆 Also random addition but when I saw the trailer I thought that one guy was Elon Musk for a sec 😅
I really loved this movie. I’m not understanding the hate/nitpicking. I’ve been really into the history of how vampires are portrayed on screen and Abigail was full of nods to other vampire movies and I loved it. I loved how Sammy was nicknamed “Twilight” and had a shiny/sparkly shirt that sparkled in the light.
I personally pissed right after they made the injection plan and got back right as Sammy fell into the pool. Thank god I got back before the pool. I think I picked a good part
I went in not knowing anything and just went to support Melissa thinking she was Abigail 😅… I had no idea how stacked the cast was and how good this movie was going to be!! Definitely in my top 5 movies this year
Great video! I got halfway through the video before I paused it and bought tickets to the movie. I'm not super picky so I loved every minute of it. I'm glad I did not spoil the end for myself.
How did folks not know "The Invitation" was about vampires? From the trailer I saw not only did I get that it was a vampire film but i felt like the trailer pretty much gave away the premise, beginning, middle and ending of the film.
As a former dancer (mostly ballet), ballerinas 100% randomly dance around like Abigail. It's so accurate LOL
Sister did dance and can confirm
A woman at my stable danced and I realized that while grooming she would practice different steps without thinking and her massive warm blood would too! 😂 completely copied her, so sweet.
Can also confirm this to be true
did ballet for 15 years, can confirm
As an Abigail who used to dance.... I still do.
"I love when tiny people do chaos." SAME, girl.
It's why I watch this channel! Tiny person, doing chaos!
As long as it is chaos that I do not have to clean up! lol
Tell me you aren’t a parent without telling me you aren’t a parent….
@@SJTJ LOL - father of three grown daughters, thanks. And for the record, I love when they do chaos too.
Abigail would fit right in as a Cabin in the Woods monster choice. Vampire ballerina seems like a dice roll word pairing from the 2010s
That one didn't have a face.
very vampire the masquerade tabletop game
@@lainiwakura1776yeah there’s literally a monster in the cubicles that’s the faceless//teeth only ballerina
Abigail and Ballerina Dentata would be the ultimate tag team combo in Cabin in the Woods fr fr
My first thought when I saw a poster for Abigail was of the sugar plum fairies from Cabin lol.
"she might be 4'11" but she's gonna hunt you for sport" lol
Okay had you led with the fact that they use practical effects that would have been enough to sell me
coz cgi bad?
@@AugustRx No, it's more so that horror movies with practical effects allow the actors to act more naturally and better, which gives us, the viewers, a better movie.
Cabin in the woods!
@@jaijaibinxno6064 Abigail's actor's veins actually popped and her teeth went red and sharp on set. It was a sight to behold
@@AugustRxthat woman actually exploded!
Abigail was played by the same actress as Matilda both on broadway and the filmed version! She's been a talented dancer and actress for many years already even as a child! What a treat to see her in a horror movie.
Oh, nice!
i was wondering if they had gotten a trained dancer or not, glad to see they did!
Not on broadway. She’s extremely talented but she’s never done Matilda on stage. She was Molly in Annie at the National Concert Hall in Dublin though
Not at all Broadway, she's Irish. She was in the movie though.
@@caitlyn1597 do Irish people not do stage work outside of Ireland?
as yet another former ballet dancer (not prof, just did it for a decade or so), i think there's a reason ballet-based horror tends to be phenomenal. the obsessive perfectionism and competitiveness, the body horror (it's pretty common for professionals to end up with lifelong health problems/crippling themselves, hell, i once spent so long practicing on my pointe shoes my toes started bleeding), industry problems with racism, and classicism (both classic sources of horror), and the general dreamlike, rigid, glittery aesthetic of performances being eye catching and unsettling when juxtaposed with visceral violence and gore. 'vampire ballerina' seems silly but the idea of flawless, traditional, restrained beauty built on pain and blood and horror applies just as evenly to both
Such a beautiful comment
I like how this movie is apparently just that "they need enrichment for their enclosure" meme... but for a vampire ballerina.
The implication I took from Frank's transformation is that becoming a vampire severely impacts your impulse control. I think it's something vampires have to relearn.
So, Abigail and her Dad were old enough to be fully in control. Lambert had been a vampire long enough to look in control, but he was still impulsive enough to think two fledgling vampires zerg-rushing DRACULA was a good idea. Frank's impulse control was just gone.
I agree. Kinda reminded me of newly turned vampires in Twilight
Yeah I agree with that because eventhough Frank as a person was clearly pretty rough, ya know putting it simply he was a bit mean... he wasn't like "I want to turn you into a vampire and use you as my puppet" like full blown evil. So I assume just turning into a vampire does what you said
You know what I wanted? I wanted a post credit scene of Joey watching Abigail dancing
Right!!!
“I found the garlic!” “SAMMY THOSE ARE ONIONS!
No no it’s even better: “Sammy. Those are FUCKING onions!” And the delivery is perfection
“Her pulse was slow and steady. You can’t fake that.” Ma’am she’s a fuckin vampire 😆 she’s not working with human limitations here
For real ! , when Joey said her pulse was slow and steady I was thinking ok maybe it's because Vampires in this universe have very slow pulses/ heart beats like you can't bet that knockout syringe will actually work on Abigail 😂😂
Tbf she actually did get sedated the second time
It's implied that Abigail's "dad" is Dracula. This movie is a loose remake of the film Dracula's Daughter. I enjoyed it, but felt the ending was a little flat. I was kind of hoping Lambert would get more to do and that Abigail was the head of the crime family/there was no "dad". Still worth seeing in theaters 100%.
The moment he was like “I’ve gone through many names over the years.” I was like got it. Dracula
“She might be 4”11 but she’ll hunt you for sport” and “I love when tiny people do chaos” are such fantastic lines 😂
I lost my shit when Lazar walked in. That actor, Matthew Goode, plays another vampire in the TV adaptation of the book series Discovery of Witches and it's now my own head canon that Abigail takes place during one of the character's spells of blood rage.
I was so shocked and excited! I was like there he is! My favorite white boy!
I wasn’t expecting to him in this movie either
Honestly I was so pleased to see him, he looked really comfortable in the role too which made him creepier
I had no idea who he was lol
Literally same when I saw him i was like "diana come gather your daughter"
15:30 - not only is she all decked out in her swan lake costume, the main music that they keep using for her dancing is literally just the swan lake overture
The story is totally different than I thought it was from the trailers I half-saw. I thought all the adults were kidnapped to feed Abigail, not a convoluted mob hit, which is honestly way better. That's awesome they used practical effects, that is so rare these days!
A bunch of people struggling to escape being fed to a feral child vampire sounds way better
I also expected something completely different, I thought it would be much more funny. I found it really bad, it’s so much set up and so little payoff. The acting was good but how can you have Katherine Newton and not mention Supernatural IN A MONSTER MOVIE?
"it takes a long time to learn how to do the cool shit" was my favorite line in the whole movie! Alisha Weir (Abigail) does such an amazing job as being simultaneously a "little gril" and a vampire, i mean the changes on her facial expressions alone makes it amazing!
Feels like the marketing for the movie is a damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Trapped in the house with a kid vampire is a fun premise but the movie holds the reveal for a while in so I wonder the difference between people who have seen the trailer / know the premise and people who haven’t and how that affects their opinion.
I brought my brother with me to watch the movie. I made sure he saw no trailer or promotional material. I definitely think not knowing Abigail was a vampire from the start definitely added to the plot and twist and made the movie better. However I went in knowing the twist and I still enjoy it. I also agree it would have been hard to sell the movie if the vampire thing wasn't mentioned.
I agree. I'd seen the trailer but nothing else, so I knew about the vampire 'twist' and I was getting a little frustrated by how drawn out it was at the start. At first I thought they'd screwed up the marketing by revealing it to us, but then I realised there was no other way to do it and it doesn't matter that we the audience know (partly) what's coming, it's about the characters learning it for themselves, so my opinion kind of shifted and I ended up glad that they weren't trying to keep that as some secret for the audience
I didn’t see the trailer and I only read they were trapped in a house with a kid. I didn’t know she was a vampire at all! So when they started speculating about her dad and Valdez + people started randomly dying I was hyped!! I had no idea what direction this movie was going to. But I must say I was kinda disappointed that she was a vampire. The first 30 min were amazing tho lol
I went into it after watching the trailer, and I had a really good time. I feel like too many movies/movie goers nowadays are obsessed with shock value and twists, when sometimes it’s just fun to watch the characters learn about the reality of their situation when you already have the full context. Dramatic irony has existed for a long time for a reason, I think it’s fun!
It's like From Dusk Till Dawn, where the first half does a great job at setting itself up as a standard crime comedy-drama only to then blindside the audience with a hard turn into vampire horror. Part of me definitely wishes they hadn't revealed the whole vampire thing so it would've made for a much bigger shock when we find out the truth (mind you, I think the trailers for From Dusk... might've also given away the reveal so there is precedent I suppose)
This movie can be summed up basically as I'm not stuck in here with you you all are stuck in here with me.
Additionally for Frank being so powerful, he did drink a lot of Abigail's blood on top of being a new vampire. Some vampire lore includes that drinking the blood of a more powerful vampire can give you some of their power
I first saw Alisha Weir in the movie musical of "Matilda", and I was really impressed by how well she embodied the role, plus her convincing British accent, when she's Irish in real life.
True
But Mara Wilson will always be the best Matilda for me
Not sure why the redbud Matilda
But Alisha still nailed the role..
I went to go see this movie with some of my coworkers on premiere day. The main reason we wanted to see it is we used to have a coworker named Abigail who made our lives hell. That was it, that was the reason. The ballerina vampire aspect was the icing on the cake. Great movie though, absolutely loved it and am happy to see others giving it some love too!
I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS PRACTICAL EFFECTS!!! I saw this movie over the weekend cause how was I not gonna see a vampire ballerina movie and I LOVED IT! I love it even more now oh my god!
It's a really fun film, and i wish more and more horror film creators realized how comedic their scripts are to lean more on that aspect. There are a couple horror films that really get you to feel fear or that week-long uncomfortableness. But MOST horror films nowadays are way too funny to take themselves that seriously and they just don't work, cause they feel half-hearted AS horror imo.
I want to see Abigail. Sadly, I don't have the stomach for horror movies anymore...especially ones with gore. I appreciate videos like this that let me safely experience horror. Thank you
Yeah kinda same lol. However I don't really want to see it but I do have a curiosity to hear the stories and plots of horror films so I appreciate too that I can almost feel the horror without having to put myself in an environment where it would be too much for me.
almost 20 years of ballet experience incl teaching. From what I could see in your clips, she didn't look prof (I know the actress' isnt so they didn't use a body double, I do know she has theater background) but she is good at it, specially her arm movements. I just find the whole ballerina vampire funny.
Saw it this weekend. It was a lot of fun. I didn't catch that it was a film by Universal. I saw an article pop up last night speculating that if this does well enough it might be a good place to re-start the "Dark Universe" plans they had years back.
I thought dark universe was the classic monsters part of epic universe?
@@iizmizzhungary It was supposed to be but they didn't like how mummy turned out so they scrapped the whole thing. More or less Abigail has Dracula, or at least a Dracula figure in it/in its lore and has been, so far, doing much better than mummy or wolfman did.
@@hightde13 but it’s on their website still?? 2025s epic universe has a land called Dark Universe themed around the classic universal monsters BECAUSE the mummy 2017 failed so hard and stopped any plans they had for that iteration of a dark universe. Are you talking about the avengers style movie franchise they were thinking about or the themed land at the park? Because I’m speaking about the new park and fear we may be discussing two different topics
@@iizmizzhungary I'm thinking of the movie universe. I didn't realize there was a park/ride for classics! I will need to check it out some day!
@@hightde13 ahh I see! I don’t know much about the movie plans but I’m a pretty big enthusiast so I’ve been watching the progress for the new park coming. If you get the chance to/are in the Orlando area summer 2025 or after I hope you get to make the trip there it looks really cool. And hopefully it’ll boost demand for the movies you’re hoping for🤞🏻
My boyfriend and I went to see Monkey Man at our local drive in and Abigail was the double feature. Abigail played first so we were just planning to sit and half watch it while hanging out, and we became INVESTED. At one point we looked at each other and were like "Why is this good??"
valdez is the friends we made along the way
My favorite part of the dance sequence with Sammy is Abigail starts dancing Coppélia! I was HOLLERING in the theater I'm so happy they didn't just stick to the Swan Lake suite they actually did make fun dance references. It made all the difference in how I enjoyed this movie
I was obsessed with this one. So good. Camp. Spooky. Gory. Fun. Chaotic. Violent. As an Abigail who danced most of her life and loves horror, I can't help but feel like this movie was made for me 😂
It’s sad that the movie trailers gave away the fact that Abigail is a vampire as that is a spoiler to the first 1/3 the movie, as has suspense and the fact that the other characters don’t understand what is happening but viewers do if they have seen the trailer or read a synopsis. They could have mentioned there is a vampire “Valdez” in the house killing people to promote this movie without mentioning she is a vampire
Trapped in a house with a vampire. Works for me.
I want to agree with you, but it was proven to me that the normal person is stupider than you would think. I cant remember exactly who it was, possibly Matpat, but they had a sponsored video where they wanted to hide a code in the vid for a give-away. and the sponsor made them put the code, in bold, on screen for the last 10 or 20 seconds of the video. The creator said what the the purpose fo it being a hidden code if you just going to put it there like that. The reason i know this is the person put a video explaining all this.. and the fact that they got THOUSANDS of messages and comments asking where to find the code, as it was too well hidden for them to find. So i don't think it was that much a spoiler for that many people, as a lot of people probably will not even notice it they put a big arrow pointing saying "Vampire here".
I think the ballerina vampire is way too good of a hook to pass up not showing it in the trailer. They're going to get so many more butts in seats at the theaters because of it and the fact that it ends up being revealed so early in the movie makes it less of a spoiler. Also, twists like this only survive the first weekend. Afterwards, its all over social media and google searches.
I'm ok with it actually -- I find knowing something is coming while the characters don't to be very suspenseful
Marketing always wins, you should never know more than the characters
I'm not a horror film fan but I wanted to support Melissa's films after she got kicked off the Scream franchise for being a caring human being. It was a surprise for me that this was Angus Cloud's last film, but I was glad to also support that. I knew she was a monster. I didn't know she was a vampire lol but I avoid trailers so that's on me
The swan lake tutu is EXTREMELY cunty and I’m in love with it
This movie deserves a TV show With Melissa Barrera and Alisha Weir. Like we don't need a Buffy reboot, we need an Abigail TV show
I’m not a professional ballerina but i did ballet for 16 years so now i’m intrigued…every other horror dance movie i’ve seen has been excellent lol
Ballerina Vampire was not on my Horror Bingo Card. Interesting
The only thing I wish is that they capitalized on the “it takes years to train” thing by making Sammy’s feet collapse or ankles break when Abigail tries to make her dance on pointe
There was a French Horror movie that came out in 2011 called livid that is really popular
about thieves being hunted down by a ballerina vampire in a mansion ... lol
also there's a horror movie called THE INVITATION from 2022 that was so good, nothing to do w/the one that came after then
I thought i was crazy because this plot seemed so familiar !!! Seems like Abigail is well executed but like.. couldn’t they change the premise just a little bit instead of doing the exact same thing ? I guess that’s what most horror movies do (haunted houses, dolls, etc) but this one is so specific that having it replicated feels weird. Still want to see it though xP
Ugh, I hated The Invitation 😂 so dull
I thought the invitation was terrible hope this one is better
@@marcovertucci7137 Abigail looks like fun, unlike that other one. More 'Ready or Not' than The Invitation
It helps cause director is the same as Ready or Not, which was a really fun movie...
When Abigail’s dad came in at the end, me and my friends burst out laughing. We weren’t sure why but something about him was so funny to us 😅😂
Just looked like some dude in the end lol
Me Tooooo, its because he looked like a cartoon vampire
I saw this opening weekend. The amount of beat-for-beat detail you went into with the plot and comedy points you included that don't just service the plot shows how much you enjoyed this.
April was a crazy good month for movies: Abigail, First Omen, Immaculate, also the last days of Femme in theaters if you catch that one
My anxious/agoraphobic ass has been wanting to see this movie since I saw the trailer. As ridiculous as it sounds, wanting to watch this video but not spoil the movie was a huge part in what got me to the cinema for the first time in a decade. Thanks Amanda! 😅❤
I loved this movie. Kevin Durand was my favorite part. He did such a good job as a loveable oaf comic relief character. I personally liked what they did with the vampire strength. It seems vampires are at full physical strength right from the start but "it takes a really long time to learn how to do the cool stuff," as Abigail said.
I did think saving the reveal that Abigail is a vampire for the movie and keeping it out of the trailers would have been better, but I'm not sure it was really possible. Little vampire ballerina is the only reason I went to see it because the trailer I saw when I saw Late Night with the Devil made it look entertaining but also a little silly with Abigail ballet dancing around the mansion as she stalked her prey. They maybe could have cut the trailer and used lines about killing a vampire so people know it's a vampire movie but they don't suspect it's Abigail; they just assume that Abigail is a plot device to get the crew into the house for the rest of the movie to take place.
Ready or Not and Abigail being in the same universe would make sense, as Tony Le Domas' portrait is in the manor. I just watched this now that it's on VOD and hell yeah, great movie. And to have Matthew Goode as Lazar - chef's kiss!
thank u amanda for always uploading on my lunch break 🙏 always look forward to it!
I was on-board seeing this just because you recommend it, but the mention of practical effects have truly sold me. I don't think my fiance knows anything about this movie so I'll bring him in blind.
love videos like this because I do not handle horror well, so having loads of spoilers beforehand is the only way I can really watch them
Just watched it the turning scene with the throwing up blood reminds me of the bit from WWDITS whenever a vampire eats human food I was silently dying in the theater
0:58 " I went in knowing it was starring Melissa Barrera and... that it was a vampire ballerina." Same except for me it was the girl from freaky [Kathryn Newton], and I loved freaky.
This is a fabulous video!! As a curious gal who enjoys story telling but who is deeply sensitive and CANNOT handle violence/gore, I often read reviews of horror and end up traumatizing myself anyway, but far less so than actually seeing it. I really enjoyed this video because I got to experience the fun and none of the yuck! AND I get to recommend a movie to my sister who adores vampires and horror which I never get to do because I can’t stomach her favorite films 😆 reading the comments make me feel like less of a weirdo as I see others have similar sensitivities who are also morbidly curious! You have a talent in this highly specific task of telling a scary story without making it too scary lol. Thank you!
3:25 for some reason i genuinely thought you were talking about the basketball player. I was like wow i didnt realize he was going into acting
How did people not know The Invitation was about vampires? It was so obvious in the trailer.
in fairness, even while i was watching the invitation in the cinema, i thought all the hints at vampires were just jokes 😭 it was so badly written i assumed the intention was for the main character to THINK they were vampires but were actually something else “worse” and that would be the real final plot twist that never came
I saw Abigail yesterday, I am not much into horror but I did enjoy this movie a lot! Alisha Weir who plays the little girl is just amazing! I was particularily impressed by how seamlessly she switched from sweet girl to cruel sarcastic vampire.
Thanks for this swell video Swell!
I don’t normally pay attention to those “go watch the movie then come back!” things, but that description is so interesting I’m actually pausing the video lol. I’m gonna watch the movie today and I will be back!
I immediately stopped this video when you mentioned the Swan Lake costume change Abigail did, to go see this movie myself and holy fuck was it so good. Bloody ballerinas is an esthetic that I love and was so excited to get to see it done. It quickly moved to one of my favorite horror movies. Cannot thank enough for the recommendation on this movie!
I'm sure Kritoff Lazaar is Dracula, in the novel The Sun makes Dracula weak so he's like a human in the day
So glad I went to see this in theaters! Didn’t really like M3gan, so I was worried it was gonna be another cringey “horror” movie, but was SO pleasantly surprised! I can’t believe how many times I full on laughed and so much of the gore was genuinely upsetting and cool! Some parts were still a little silly to me, like the puppet Sammy dance scene, but even then it still felt leagues more genuine than M3gan and was still a genuinely good watch.
At Rikles' death scene, in my theater, someone said, "Aint no way he dead already." 😂
I was deciding if i wanted to see it in theaters, you definitely made me believe in the writers
It's really good there a lot of deco in the house that can be better appreciated in theatres
sooo glad abigail is getting hype!! i got my boyfriend to go with me to the drive in to see it just bc i heard "vampire ballerina" and was instantly sold. he had nooo idea what the twist was and watching him try to figure it out and his eventual suprise was sooo fun! we both loved it ❤
Loved Abigail! Small ensemble cast in a closed off location? Check. Gleeful non spooky horror? Check. Memorable performances all round? Check and check again! Also didn't think about the possibility of a Ready or Not crossover... Actually onboard with that.
The way you talk about this movie reminds me of the way I raved about "Ready or Not" and Samara Weaving. I'm excited to see it now (I'm impervious to spoilers).
I’ve been watching for years and I just absolutely love your content!!! Thanks for always being swell!!
Theres a specific scene where she busts through a door and twirls while chasing someone and its very megan coded and i live for it
Imo "girl is a vampire" is THE spoiler of the movie, so I'd definitely prefer if trailers didn't spoil that kind of stuff
They should have definitely faked it somehow. Just straight up lie to us so that we can be properly shocked.
It’s also the plot of like 90% of the movie though if not more. Is it really a spoiler to know the general idea of the movie you’ll be seeing?
@@Da_bear-ij9gm I guess that would depend on what kind of movie the authors are going for and who the main character of the movie is (or at least our pov for the movie).
Obviously the authors of this movie (or potentially the distributor) decided that showing the reveal, that wouldn't be obvious w/o the trailer, was something that worked for this movie.
But there's still a ton of ways to get people hyped for what the movie is (action with some killing), while not revealing what exactly happens in the movie. Use shots that don't reveal the exact identity of the kid or maybe even ones that don't show who it was that killed people. Or anything along that line.
"Scooby-Doo meets Clue meets Vampire Ballerina", say no more, I'll watch it xD
thinking abt the ready or not connection and also the sam weaving melissa barrara scream connection they really slay
I love that your speech speeds up when you love something it shows how excited you are and now i want to see the movie
interesting that they went with the “vampires have a pulse” lore
esp if they made frank throw up blood when he turned
I saw it by myself at Alamo drafthouse with a cocktail & while crocheting & I LOVED it
It was SO FUN
went to see abigail this past sunday and it was actually so good ??? the main actress did so well and i love melissa barrera & kathryn newton sooooo much
A bit of a sidenote, but I just realized that I can't wait for Swell's review of "Trap".
M night is coming for all of us. I'm so freaking excited
your intro pitch for this movie and your excitement were so enticing that I am now going to be saving this video for after I watch this movie
I love watching people talk about something that they enjoy, AND Im so happy to hear this movie was good, so this video was fantastic for me. Thank you.
Love your review! You made me want to see this flick even more
The energy you have when you're talking about a movie you enjoyed is powerful and contagious enough to keep me awake for three days.
I’m not a big horror fan, but I am now interested in seeing this 😅
Also, I love the videos of you being super excited about or into something, it’s such great energy!
I’ve been tempted to watch it but I had a trip booked this weekend and didn’t have time over there, now I’m back and honestly after this review now more than ever I’m sold I can’t wait to see it!
Now as a professional dancer I want to see this. I always cringe when people try to incorporate ballet into other genres, usually because they do not bother to hire a trained dancer; they think a tutu, some ribbon tied shoes, and random awkward gestures are enough. I love horror films, though, and you've really sold this one.
I thought Sammy's actress looked familiar, then I googled her and turns out she was the new Cassie from Ant-Man Quantumania 😬
i need to see this!
there is so much classic dracula lore in this :o
I had no idea this movie was even coming out o.e
Finally watched this movie bc it went on Peacock and LOVED it!!! I love horror comedy. I love ensemble casts. I love “haunted creepy” house movies. I LOVED the vampire lore!! It felt really refreshing. I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised
I got literally 3 minutes into this video and now I REALLY want to see it so I'm peace-ing out and buying movie tickets for this weekend. I'll be back once I see it! lol
Watching this in 4DX was WILD! All the blood splatter would have water dripping on us and that added to the horror in the best and worst way 🤢
Alisha Weir is going to be a star. She's amazing in Matilda: The Musical and now in Abigail.
you called her matilda in a bit of this lol 😂 at 20:04
Thanks for the suggestion! Will definitely watch in cinema if possible
I'm a dancer and vampire ballerina really intrigued me but I can't handle horror movies (both the gory kind and the creepy kind) I can barely handle thriller movies 😅 I'm so thankful for your review/explanation of it because I get the enjoy the story line while hot having to have all of the visuals 😅 I always love how you explain the different movies youve seen but especially loved this time, could feel your excitement/enjoyment of it 😄 Also reminds me of when me or my siblings explain the whole plot of a show/movie to eachother when the others not sure if they want to watch it aha. Sounds like a pretty great movie! It's such a fun concept and sounds like they did a pretty dang good job of executing it. Also love that they used practical effects, cgi is great but some things just feel/look better done with practical effects 😊
I really enjoy your movie review/recaps, theres been a few movies I was interested in watching, but didn't for whatever reason, that you’ve covered and its so great to get to know what happens without freaking myself out too much😆
Also random addition but when I saw the trailer I thought that one guy was Elon Musk for a sec 😅
I really loved this movie. I’m not understanding the hate/nitpicking. I’ve been really into the history of how vampires are portrayed on screen and Abigail was full of nods to other vampire movies and I loved it. I loved how Sammy was nicknamed “Twilight” and had a shiny/sparkly shirt that sparkled in the light.
I personally pissed right after they made the injection plan and got back right as Sammy fell into the pool. Thank god I got back before the pool. I think I picked a good part
That little girl did the damn thing omg the whole cast was excellent
everyone was so good!!! that dance sequence is an iconic horror scene now for me
I went to see the movie today because of your video. Now im back to watch this again. Yall the "garlic" sammy found had me laughing so hard 😂😂
I went in not knowing anything and just went to support Melissa thinking she was Abigail 😅… I had no idea how stacked the cast was and how good this movie was going to be!! Definitely in my top 5 movies this year
Why does this feels like home alone but make it a horror movie lmao
Pls do more movie reviews. This was amazing.
Great video! I got halfway through the video before I paused it and bought tickets to the movie. I'm not super picky so I loved every minute of it. I'm glad I did not spoil the end for myself.
How did folks not know "The Invitation" was about vampires? From the trailer I saw not only did I get that it was a vampire film but i felt like the trailer pretty much gave away the premise, beginning, middle and ending of the film.